The unrighteous jurors

Yet again, the human race has shown its bestiality and perverted morality in Aluu. For days, a very offensive video of the gruesome murder of four undergraduates circulated over the internet and social media networks. The video captured everything that man is capable and incapable of doing to his fellow man: the tape of jungle mammals and self-righteous judges.

The four undergrads were accused of stealing laptops and mobile phones, which resulted in their lynching by aggrieved villagers that precipitated Armageddon in broad daylight. Just like every other humane individual who has seen the video, what really baffled me was the fact that these angry villagers actually thought they were doing their community good by defeating ‘evil’ through bestiality.

The whole development brings to my mind, the classic novel by Joseph Conrad Heart of Darkness, which captured the juxtaposition of “supposed light” and “darkness”. There was a character called Mr. Kurtz and his fellow Europeans, who had come to black Africa to bring civilisation and shine the light of salvation on the populace through their dark but fetish hearts.

The plot eventually revealed that the black natives turned out to be the ones with a good heart and the white men, with all their lies about civility and charming looks are actually the ones with the heart of darkness. Conrad wisely said that: “Few men realise that their lives, the very essence of their character, capabilities and their audacities, are only the expression of their belief in the safety of their surroundings.”

Whether Conrad was right or not is not the crux of this piece. But whatever reason the people of Aluu had for venting such horror on these young men, whatever pent-up anger they had in their hearts over previous terrorism from criminals in their community, was no excuse for them to lynch four young adults.

Contrasted here with the “accused” is the “judge”, a juxtaposition that does not necessarily suggest that the “accused” is bad and the “judge” is good. The judge here, in my metaphor, is definitely not a righteous judge. The darkness at his heart should be contrasted with the crime of the accused; the process of dispensing justice is where the true darkness lies.

It is also puzzling that some individuals stood through the whole action, filming the incident with their phones. Men and women stood there watching four unlucky boys burning and writhing in pain. Shame! Being dishonoured would, in no way, be measured against the pain the lynched students would have felt. The knowledge of their nakedness does not compare to the feeling of fear and horror that must have taken over their victimised hearts.

Had they actually been trying to explain their situation to anyone in the mob? Had anyone cared to listen to their explanation coming out of their bloody mouths? Had anyone in the crowd been a little sensitive as to persuade the unrighteous judges to tamper justice with mercy? Had the judges’ quest for “justice” been so intoxicating that it numbed their humanity?

The spurt of blood from their heads as the heavy sticks and stones fell heavily on them, the pathetic sight of one of the boys trying to crawl out of the fire, that odd smell of roasted human flesh, the cringing and cries for help and mercy! None of these was enough to plead mercy for the accused.

No mother in the mob thought of the possibility of her own son suffering a similar fate. No father braved up the crowd to shield these children of another parents from the barbarism of vengeful judges. No brother felt the spirit of kinship for these brothers of theirs from another mothers and pleaded on their behalf. No sister cried or ran out for help for these brothers.

At that moment, these sons and brothers were alone in the world, with only the fear in Chidiaka’s eyes and the pain written on Tekena’s face. Had Ugonna reached out to his mother, who was far away and oblivious of her son’s fate? Had Lloyd died saying the last prayer? Indeed, there is no need to probe for the supernatural source of man’s evil; as man alone is quite capable of wickedness his dark heart conceives.

My deepest condolence remains with the families of the accused. Your sons have not been judged fairly, whether or not they were guilty. The unrighteous judges who ‘presided’ over their case were a group of brute and self-righteous captor.

But there is a righteous judge, who judges the heart of all men. Before him should you appeal your case, because he is the custodian of the true constitution of human laws. He is the only law giver and judge. He is aware that those who live by the sword will surely die by the sword. I rest my argument.